5 Lessons I’ve Learned While Trying to Lose Weight

It’s easy to say, “Oh, I want to lose weight!” but it’s a lot harder to follow through. I’ve learned that through many failed attempts, and I mean many. I’ve been overweight all my life, and I’m only 20, so that says a lot. I’ve tried probably every fad diet out there, but they never worked in the long run.

Then, one day I woke up, and it just clicked. I knew what I needed to do, and I knew it would be difficult, probably one of the hardest things I’ve done. But I can say with absolute certainty that when it finally clicked, it was going to stay. I’ve never been happier or felt better about myself than I do right now. I’ve lost 26 pounds so far and I’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way, but these 5 stand out the most in my mind.

It’s hard.

Oh man, is it hard. That’s honestly kind of an understatement. It’s hard to get up every day and know that what you’re going to eat is already tracked and planned. I track everything the night before on MyFitnessPal to hold myself more accountable. It’s hard sometimes to get the motivation to want to go to the gym. Sometimes I really don’t want to, like yesterday, and I didn’t. It’s hard to say no to temptations around your friends and family. We’ve had 3 King Cakes in our house. Sometimes I was able to say no, and sometimes I wasn’t. And all of these might be mistakes in some people’s eyes, but I’ve learned that it’s all okay. As long as you aren’t mean to yourself for making a mistake then you’re on the right track. We’re all human, and I’ve learned that as long as I get right back on the wagon, that’s what counts in the long run. This journey is unbelievably hard but so worth it.

Drinking lots of water helps.

I can honestly say now that I love water. I rarely drank water before this journey started, and now I’m drinking a gallon or more of water a day. Water has so many benefits when it comes to weight loss. It has helped me feel more full after a meal, especially when I first started. Water helped tremendously with learning portion control. It makes me feel good. Water is just in general, really good for your body. I think water has honestly been a huge factor in my success

Track everything.

A quick look at my daily tracker

“If you bite it, write it. If you snack it, track it. And if you nibble it, scribble it” -Unknown. I live by this quote. I track everything I put in my mouth, even on treat meals. Even when I get the urge to binge, and I follow through. I track it. If you don’t track what you’re eating, you’re just lying to yourself. Your tracker might show “good days” because you refuse to track your cheats, but your body will not reflect it. Trust me I know from experience.

Sometimes it seems like you’re not making any progress.

This is so unbelievably true that it hurts. Sometimes your brain tricks you into seeing what you’ve always seen in the mirror. I struggle with this constantly. I know I have made progress. I’ve lost 26 pounds and two pants sizes, working on the third. It is seriously so hard to see progress sometimes. When I feel like I’m not making any progress, I remember where I came from. I know I’m making progress, it’s just slow progress. And progress is progress in my book.

A treat meal with friends is good for the soul.

You know what sucks? Depriving yourself of anything while trying to lose weight. I don’t deprive myself of anything. I either try to fit it into my daily calories, try to satisfy it in healthier ways, or eat it in my weekly treat meal. Eating healthy 24/7 is hard. Thinking about what I’m having for my treat meal on Fridays often helps me through a rough day full of cravings. Just knowing that on Friday, I get to go have fun with my friends while eating whatever I want makes me happy. I really try not to go overboard on my cheat meals because then I wake up on Saturday with an awful stomachache. I often use my treat meals as an opportunity to catch up with friends, so I see it as more than just a meal where I eat what I want.

These lessons have literally changed my life. It’s been over four months now, and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. I can only go up from here, or should I say down?

I hope these lessons have inspired you to partake on your own journey, and if you’re currently or wanting to start the path to getting healthy, let me know! I would love to talk to some like minded people!

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Author: emgetsfitt

My name is Emily. I’m a college student passionately pursuing a degree in Public Relations. I am on a journey to health, fitness, and happiness. I hope to inspire people to take the plunge and decide that their health matters to them. I love cooking, makeup, reading, and of course, fitness and health.
View all posts by emgetsfitt

Hi everyone!

My name is Emily. I’m a college student passionately pursuing a degree in Public Relations. I am on a journey to health, fitness, and happiness. I hope to inspire people to take the plunge, and decide that their health matters to them. I love cooking, makeup, reading, and of course, fitness and health.